People who liked this also liked...

On the eve of her 16th birthday, Sylvie's father needs cash to stay in his castle so he sells Sylvie's favorite thing, a painting of Alain, the lover of Sylvie's grandmother, killed in a ... See full summary »

An elderly countess strikes a bargain with the devil and exchanges her soul for the ability to always win at cards. An army officer, who is also a fanatic about cards, murders her for the ... See full summary »

Two men, a painter and a poor guy, have to cross over Paris by night during World War II and to deliver black market meat. As they walk along dark Parisian streets, they encounter various ... See full summary »

Marcel works as assistant to a jeweller whose bossy daughter Renée keeps hitting on him. When he meets lovely Loulou and her lazy friend Jo, he is fascinated by the girl and somehow ... See full summary »

Frequently Asked Questions

User Reviews

Screenplay based on Georges Feydeau's eponymous play.At the time ,Claude Autant-Lara was a rebel: sandwiched between "Le Diable Au Corps" and "L'Auberge Rouge" which displayed the director's hatred for the bourgeoisie,the army and the Church.Although "Amelie" is a farce,it's a fierce attack against marriage ,bourgeois hypocrisy and even military madness (the barracks is put in quarantine cause they all developed mumps).

Amelie is a Cocotte (=a tart);she trades on her charms,abetted by her father who plays a role generally delegated to mothers (Gremillon's "Gueule D'Amour" or Allégret's "Manèges" ).She is wooed by every Tom,Dick and Harry passing by.She's currently supported by a military man,courted by a foreign prince -who gives the equivalent of the French Legion D'Honneur to dad- ,and ,besides,she is to marry a young lad who covets his wealthy uncle's heritage: the necessary and sufficient condition for getting the dough is getting married.

Autant-Lara's adaptation is brilliant: there's a poster of the show on the wall of a theater where some of the scenes are played ,on stage or backstage (like Luis Bunuel would do in "Le Charme Discret De La Bourgeoisie ");the "audience" intervenes during the sequence of events ;And ,last but not least,there's a "advertisements interlude" ,as they could see one in the Belle Epoque days .

Danielle Darrieux shines as Amelie and Jean Dessailly is oddly cast against type.Acting is continuous overacting,which may repel some but which inspires the vital madness of the movie,which knows only one one tempo:accelerated.

9 of 9 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?